Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 855,200 shares, a drop of 17.0% from the October 15th total of 1,030,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 166,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.1 days.

Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of WD stock opened at $106.62 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.58 and a 200 day moving average of $103.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.08 and a beta of 1.55. Walker & Dunlop has a 1 year low of $81.14 and a 1 year high of $118.19.

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE:WD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.10). Walker & Dunlop had a return on equity of 9.81% and a net margin of 8.91%. The firm had revenue of $292.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $294.24 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walker & Dunlop will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Walker & Dunlop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.86%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Stephen P. Theobald sold 13,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.10, for a total value of $1,471,607.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,715,500.90. This trade represents a 20.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walker & Dunlop

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,434,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $162,930,000 after buying an additional 18,461 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Walker & Dunlop by 33.1% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,415,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $160,784,000 after acquiring an additional 351,957 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Walker & Dunlop by 1.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,319,434 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $129,566,000 after acquiring an additional 20,739 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in Walker & Dunlop by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,227,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $139,474,000 after purchasing an additional 402,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Impactive Capital LP grew its stake in shares of Walker & Dunlop by 242.0% during the 1st quarter. Impactive Capital LP now owns 1,034,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,505,000 after purchasing an additional 731,714 shares during the period. 80.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WD. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded Walker & Dunlop to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Walker & Dunlop from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Walker & Dunlop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 11th.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. It operates through three segments: Capital Markets, Servicing & Asset Management, and Corporate.